Kids, just because I don't care doesn't mean I'm not listening.
Homer Simpson
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Now, I've heard everything . . .
A few months ago, I heard a remark about public schools to the effect that a parent's rights regarding their child ends at the school door. Today, they reported on a school in Chicago that bans homemade lunches! That's right, you cannot send a lunch from home to your child. The administrators claim that they have a more nutritious menu. A report noticed children leaving the lunch room and dumping most of the 'wonderful' mass-made lunches.
It seems that the government is constantly finding ways and means of invading our homes and lifestyles. No matter how they phrase it, forbidding a homemade sandwich to enter the portals of the school yard is an invasion of privacy and an attack on the home. It is like saying that, 'sure you bore and raised the child but now an informed person will take over' . . . If the world doesn't wake up soon, I can only shudder to think what the government will take over next.
Makes me glad I home schooled my children. They also went to private colleges which, yes, cost a bit more but the scholarships were good and they teach not take over a student's mind.
It seems that the government is constantly finding ways and means of invading our homes and lifestyles. No matter how they phrase it, forbidding a homemade sandwich to enter the portals of the school yard is an invasion of privacy and an attack on the home. It is like saying that, 'sure you bore and raised the child but now an informed person will take over' . . . If the world doesn't wake up soon, I can only shudder to think what the government will take over next.
Makes me glad I home schooled my children. They also went to private colleges which, yes, cost a bit more but the scholarships were good and they teach not take over a student's mind.
I can relate to the third one!
"He hoped and prayed that there wasn't an afterlife. Then he realized there was a contradiction involved here and merely hoped that there wasn't an afterlife."
-- Douglas Adams
"A satirist is a man who discovers unpleasant things about himself and then says them about other people."
-- Peter McArthur
"One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries."
-- A. A. Milne
"I believe that a scientist looking at nonscientific problems is just as dumb as the next guy."
-- Richard Feynman
-- Douglas Adams
"A satirist is a man who discovers unpleasant things about himself and then says them about other people."
-- Peter McArthur
"One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries."
-- A. A. Milne
"I believe that a scientist looking at nonscientific problems is just as dumb as the next guy."
-- Richard Feynman
Monday, April 11, 2011
Rainy Days and a Mother's Sanity . . .
Rainy days bring out the creative in our children. For some reason, the lessons that take forever to complete on a sunny day, are done in minutes. You, the mother, spend the rest of the day second guessing disasters as the children find ways to keep themselves amused. Hard as it is to believe, doing an extra book report or some encyclopedia research doesn’t seem to appeal to them.
Even though the majority of your children may have reached the age of reason, reason and active children don’t always find a common meeting place. So, while the rain pours down and the thunder shakes the house, you realize every word that comes from the mouths or your babes will have to be analyzed carefully. Children can keep themselves occupied when confined to the house. It is up to the parent in charge as to whether the house will still be standing when they have had their fun. There are certain key words or phrases that should immediately raise the red flag.
1. Mom! Where do we keep the rope?
2. Did you know that dogs really like peanut butter, especially straight from the jar?
3. Can the vacuum spit things out again if you need them back?
4. No, you jump first!
5. How many vitamins can the cat eat before she gets sick?
6. Where does the water go when it overflows the bathtub?
7. What happens if all the labels fall off the canned food?
8. Did you see how muddy the dogs were when they ran past?
9. Mom! Did you know you could call France from our telephone?
10. How long do we have before Dad gets home?
Even though the majority of your children may have reached the age of reason, reason and active children don’t always find a common meeting place. So, while the rain pours down and the thunder shakes the house, you realize every word that comes from the mouths or your babes will have to be analyzed carefully. Children can keep themselves occupied when confined to the house. It is up to the parent in charge as to whether the house will still be standing when they have had their fun. There are certain key words or phrases that should immediately raise the red flag.
1. Mom! Where do we keep the rope?
2. Did you know that dogs really like peanut butter, especially straight from the jar?
3. Can the vacuum spit things out again if you need them back?
4. No, you jump first!
5. How many vitamins can the cat eat before she gets sick?
6. Where does the water go when it overflows the bathtub?
7. What happens if all the labels fall off the canned food?
8. Did you see how muddy the dogs were when they ran past?
9. Mom! Did you know you could call France from our telephone?
10. How long do we have before Dad gets home?
Yes, I'm Pro-Life!
A seemingly easy question to answer is, “What is a pro-life parish?” Over the past several months, I have talked to various people who claim that their parish is exceedingly pro-life. They tell me about the programs available for mothers, adoption options, clothing drives for newborns and the many other aspects of helping pre-born babies become newborns. I was impressed until I started relating the status of our government system with saving babies. The government doesn’t, for the most part, recognize any rights for the pre-born. Unborn babies are either a problem or a blessing and our world makes it possible to handle it any way the individual sees fit. Yet, I wondered, how could abortion on demand be so prevalent when there are so many pro-life, Catholic parishes?
During the last presidential election, I got a definite clue. Catholics attending Mass regularly, voted for the very people who would see that abortion would always be available. And the very people who praised God in church, went to the polls and praised the politicians who ran on a platform that condoned choice by willingly offering them their vote. The democratic process has not been very democratic to our unborn. Abortion has become wholesale slaughter. Our future children are met with a legacy of death before they even breathe their first breath of life outside their mother’s womb.
Legacy, according to Webster’s is something received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past. The most tragic legacy is, of course, future lives that are cut down before they get a chance to live. As Catholics, we abhor this and participate in pro-life parishes. Until, however, we vote for the pro-life candidates, our pro-life efforts will not go far. A sign on the door proclaiming a church to be a pro-life zone is worth little if the majority of the congregation voted in the current government of death. Have any of these people ever considered their misplaced votes as legacies to their children and grandchildren?
The legacies that count most in life can’t be sold or held in our hands. The legacies that go into our lives that count are the ones that shape us, our outlook on life, the world we live in and that which we hold in our heart. And many of the legacies influencing our lives do not come as bequests from a Will. The legacies are given to us, directly or indirectly, from the examples and actions set by parents and grandparents. Can all of us claim to be thoroughly pro-life in all we think, do and say in every facet of our life?
We all teach our children about pro-life. And being children, they will ask questions. How do we answer when they ask us how we voted? Can we look them in the eye and honestly say we voted in their best interests. It is obvious from election results that votes deprived the world of many potential people . . . Catholic votes. Pro-life will continue to be a good thing and, perhaps, if people think they are pro-life, eventually they may actually be totally pro-life.
May is the month of our Blessed Mother, the ultimate mother! Can we each tell her truthfully that we have done our best for all her children, both here on earth and to come?
During the last presidential election, I got a definite clue. Catholics attending Mass regularly, voted for the very people who would see that abortion would always be available. And the very people who praised God in church, went to the polls and praised the politicians who ran on a platform that condoned choice by willingly offering them their vote. The democratic process has not been very democratic to our unborn. Abortion has become wholesale slaughter. Our future children are met with a legacy of death before they even breathe their first breath of life outside their mother’s womb.
Legacy, according to Webster’s is something received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past. The most tragic legacy is, of course, future lives that are cut down before they get a chance to live. As Catholics, we abhor this and participate in pro-life parishes. Until, however, we vote for the pro-life candidates, our pro-life efforts will not go far. A sign on the door proclaiming a church to be a pro-life zone is worth little if the majority of the congregation voted in the current government of death. Have any of these people ever considered their misplaced votes as legacies to their children and grandchildren?
The legacies that count most in life can’t be sold or held in our hands. The legacies that go into our lives that count are the ones that shape us, our outlook on life, the world we live in and that which we hold in our heart. And many of the legacies influencing our lives do not come as bequests from a Will. The legacies are given to us, directly or indirectly, from the examples and actions set by parents and grandparents. Can all of us claim to be thoroughly pro-life in all we think, do and say in every facet of our life?
We all teach our children about pro-life. And being children, they will ask questions. How do we answer when they ask us how we voted? Can we look them in the eye and honestly say we voted in their best interests. It is obvious from election results that votes deprived the world of many potential people . . . Catholic votes. Pro-life will continue to be a good thing and, perhaps, if people think they are pro-life, eventually they may actually be totally pro-life.
May is the month of our Blessed Mother, the ultimate mother! Can we each tell her truthfully that we have done our best for all her children, both here on earth and to come?
Making it easier . . .
I have a go-to recipe for pie crust that is a favorite for either sweet or savory pie fillings. Today, I came across an even easier method of quickly getting a pie ready for the oven. Thought I would share before I put it aside and forget!
Pie Crust
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup salad oil
2 tablespoons cold milk
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
If you are just baking a crust for a filling later, preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
In the pie pan, put flour, salad oil, milk, sugar, and salt. Mix well with a fork until it starts to come together. Don't overmix or the crust could become tough. With your fingers, press crust out into the pan and up the edges and flute the edges. Prick well with fork (if you are baking the crust) and bake until light brown. When cool, fill with desired filling.
If you are making a pumpkin pie or something of that sort, put your filling into the crust before baking and follow directions and temperatures for whatever type you are making.
Of course, if you want to double the recipe and just do it in a mixing bowl, that works just as well.
Pie Crust
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup salad oil
2 tablespoons cold milk
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
If you are just baking a crust for a filling later, preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
In the pie pan, put flour, salad oil, milk, sugar, and salt. Mix well with a fork until it starts to come together. Don't overmix or the crust could become tough. With your fingers, press crust out into the pan and up the edges and flute the edges. Prick well with fork (if you are baking the crust) and bake until light brown. When cool, fill with desired filling.
If you are making a pumpkin pie or something of that sort, put your filling into the crust before baking and follow directions and temperatures for whatever type you are making.
Of course, if you want to double the recipe and just do it in a mixing bowl, that works just as well.
A new slant on chicken . . .
I've tried this recipe and it is a little sweet so you might want to adjust the sugar called for in it to your own tastes. I added chili flakes to offset the sweet with the tangy and my family enjoyed it with steamed rice.
Lemonade Chicken
1 6 ounce can frozen lemonade, thawed
3 tablespoons catsup or tomato paste
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/3 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon chili flakes
Salt & black pepper to taste
2-2 1/2 pounds chicken pieces
Oil for frying
Combine all the ingredients except the chicken and oil in a bowl and set aside.
Dredge chicken with flour and brown in the hot oil until golden but not cooked through. Drain excess oil and pour the bowl of sauce over the chicken. Cover and simmer for approximately 30 minutes our until chicken is tender. Goes great with either brown or white rice.
Lemonade Chicken
1 6 ounce can frozen lemonade, thawed
3 tablespoons catsup or tomato paste
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/3 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon chili flakes
Salt & black pepper to taste
2-2 1/2 pounds chicken pieces
Oil for frying
Combine all the ingredients except the chicken and oil in a bowl and set aside.
Dredge chicken with flour and brown in the hot oil until golden but not cooked through. Drain excess oil and pour the bowl of sauce over the chicken. Cover and simmer for approximately 30 minutes our until chicken is tender. Goes great with either brown or white rice.
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